Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Part A

As soon as I started reading, there is a part where Shantanu the king falls in love with this woman, and she tells him that she will agree to marry him as long as he never questions her actions, I knew something was up. I mean no one says that unless they know that their actions are odd or wrong in some way. Then it turns out that she is not even real human she is the river of Ganga. Now I did not see this coming so that is is pretty interesting.

So, Amba and Bhishma now have a quarrel because Amba is not able to marry whom she want because that king does not want her cause she was in another man's home. I feel as if this is a reoccurring event in the the epics of India. A man does not want a woman who has been in the arms or home of another man. Even if she did not do anything. So is the man able to do whatever but he still gets to choose his woman? Hm.

Something that really caught my eye was Pandu shot a deer that was having sex, so then he got cursed that he should also die while making love. This is the worst possible curse a human could get! This is absolutely awful.

The Pandava brothers have to share whatever they have acquired, so when one of them finds a wife all five brothers have to share her. This reminds me of a Bollywood show that I once saw about a man who had two wives. Every day and night he had to choose what wife to give attention to. One was quiet and one was evil and jealous. As the show goes on, after a long time he finally divorces the quiet one because the evil one as brainwashed him so much. I can only imagine how it would be like to have five husbands.

For my story idea, I think I would like to base it off the show the Bachelorette. I would have one woman Draupadi have 30 men wanting her, but in the end she ends up with five of them, who also happen to be brothers. I think modernizing it would add a little twist to it.

Draupadi Swayamwara

(Source: Wikimedia)

Bibliography:

The Mahabharata, link to Reading Guide Part A